Roll cover assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10471898-B2
Application number	US-201715410240-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2017
Priority date	Jan 22, 2014
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

A roll cover assembly for covering a cargo space of a vehicle includes a cassette housing an extendable/retractable roll cover, a first receptacle adjacent a first side wall of the cargo space and having a channel configured to slidably guide a first end of the cassette during insertion or removal, a second receptacle adjacent a second side wall of the cargo space and having an opening configured to receive a second end of the cassette and permit pivoting of the cassette about the second end during removal of the first end from the first receptacle, a locking mechanism releasably locking the first end of the cassette into the first receptacle, and a release device actuatable to release the locking mechanism by pulling along a line-of-action parallel with a direction in which the first end of the cassette moves during removal from the first receptacle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assembly for a vehicle comprising:
first and second receptacles disposed on opposite sides of a cargo space of the vehicle;
a cassette receiving a roll cover extendable to cover at least a portion of the cargo space and having cassette first and second ends engageable with the first and second receptacles respectively;
a locking mechanism releasably locking the cassette first end into the first receptacle; and
a release device connected to the locking mechanism and configured to release the cassette first end from the first receptacle by withdrawing a latching member of the locking mechanism from engagement with the first receptacle, wherein the release device is a tether;
wherein the first receptacle includes a channel configured to slidably guide the cassette first end during insertion of the cassette first end into the first receptacle, the channel being tapered in a longitudinal direction such that a depth of the channel is smaller at a first receiving end of the channel than at a second locking end of the channel at which the cassette first end is locked by the locking mechanism.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the channel is tapered such that the depth of the channel is smaller at the first receiving end of the channel which initially receives the cassette first end during insertion than at the second locking end of the channel at which the cassette first end is locked by the locking mechanism.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first receptacle includes a recess for receiving the latching member of the locking mechanism.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second receptacle defines an opening configured to receive the second end of the cassette and permit pivoting of the second end relative to the opening during removal of the cassette first end from the first receptacle.

5. An assembly comprising:
a cassette configured to receive a roll cover configured to extend and retract from the cassette in order to cover a vehicle cargo space, the cassette having an end removably engageable with a receptacle of the vehicle adjacent the cargo space;
a locking mechanism retaining the end in the receptacle of the vehicle; and
a release device connected to the locking mechanism, the release is a tether configured to release the locking mechanism by pulling the tether along a line parallel with a direction in which the end translates during removal from the receptacle of the vehicle.

6. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the tether is a flexible member.

7. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the release device is configured such that a line-of-action is closer to a lower surface of the cassette than an upper surface of the cassette.

8. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the locking mechanism comprises a latching member, the latching member configured to releasably latch into a recess provided in the receptacle.

9. The assembly of claim 8 , wherein the locking mechanism comprises a rack-and-pinion mechanism to withdraw the latching member from the recess in response to a pulling of the release device.

10. The assembly of claim 9 , wherein the release device is connected to a rotatable carrier, and the rack-and-pinion mechanism includes a rack and a pinion, the carrier being connected to the pinion with a common axis of rotation, wherein the release device is connected to the carrier at a point with a distance from the common axis that is greater than a radius of the pinion at an interface with the rack.

11. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the locking mechanism comprises a cam and a cam surface, the release device being operatively coupled to one of the cam or cam surface.

12. The assembly of claim 11 , wherein the latching member is operatively coupled to an other of the cam and cam surface such that the latching member is releasable by virtue of an interaction between the cam and cam surface.

13. A roll-cover assembly comprising:
a cassette having an end engageable with a receptacle, the cassette configured to receive a roll cover, and a rack-and-pinion mechanism including a release device a rack, and a pinion, a latching member of the rack maintaining the end in the receptacle, the release device connecting to a rotatable carrier which is connected to the pinion with a common axis of rotation, the release device being a strap connected to the carrier at a distance from the axis that is greater than a radius of the pinion at an interface with the rack, the cassette configured to unlatch and release from the receptacle as a result of pulling the strap along a line parallel with a direction in which the end of the cassette translates dining removal from the receptacle.

14. The roll-cover of claim 13 , wherein the release device is connected to the carrier at a location closer to a lower surface of the cassette than an upper surface of the cassette.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Murray Andrew John
• Craven Richard
• Berry Daniel
• Neugebauer James

Classifications

• B60P7/00

  Securing or covering of load on vehicles ({immobilising the load during lifting a loading platform B60P1/4457}; for railway vehicles B61D45/00) · CPC title

• B60R5/047 Primary

  collapsible by rolling-up · CPC title

• E06B9/80

  Safety measures against dropping or unauthorised opening; Braking or immobilising devices; Devices for limiting unrolling (securing devices or arrangements for direct manual operation E06B9/78) · CPC title

• E06B9/08

  Roll-type closures (roller blinds E06B9/40; operating, guiding or securing devices or arrangements for roll-type closures E06B9/56; usable only as awnings E04F10/06) · CPC title

• A47G5/02

  Roll-up screens · CPC title